Early 70's BR(S) workbench

[David Todd]

Ventilators on Ferry Vans- I wonder if someone might be interested in doing some etched ones? The half-a-dozen vans I've done have variously relief built up with circular plastic strip, or are made by folding and scribing .010" sheet.

Ask, Pete Harvey, for a quote.

[David Todd]

 

I've been getting a couple of bits of stock together to visit Dave Todd and the Dover Priory layout next week. 

These have not seen a layout yet so Dover should be pretty fitting

 

 

 

Might need to bring your sledge only, no room for the reindeer .

[Andrew F]

The ferry vans are a 'steady away' project with loads to do. Luckily I found all the 12mm plain Romfords at the Manc show today (amazing anyone could buy anything there it was so crowded)

 

So the right height is fine now and I've fixed solid the bogies and added the tri-angle mountings...phew...big work; I was constantly reminded of that old 70's "Asteroids" game.

Oh, I made some NEM's pockets from styrene sheet so they all have couplings now too.

 

 

An idea for the vent mesh came to me and I ordered pipe screens off e-bay. They cost around £1 to £1.50 for 50 including postage.

 

 

They are tricky and time cusuming to cut and fit:

 

 

I need a big session to detail all six of them

[Southernboy]

Pipe Screens / Vent Mesh = resourceful.

 

Well done Andy, coming along a treat.

[Fat Controller]

You're not modelling Chilham are you?

Seriously though, those mesh grilles do look very good- if you do the Transfesa ones, leave some bits of onion and orange peel inside to replicate the characteristic smell. When you come to lettering, it would be worth contacting Railtec; the size and layout of the lettering is a UIC standard, so they might be able to produce alternative panels, using the ones they've already done for the BR Ferryvan as a basis, altering the letters and numbers of the country code, and the individual wagon numbers.

If you do the Italian ones, paint the body in bauxite/brown, then apply the white stripe using thinned white paint, and apply another coat of brown to almost, but not quite obscure it. When these wagons were built, they were given the white stripes to indicate their use in perishables traffic. Subsequently, a half-heart attempt was made to paint these over.

[Andrew F]

Onion peel and model onions....that would be great; knock the old Mek smell out of touch.

 

 I have been looking at Railtec transfers and yes, there are a lot of similar markings between the VIX and the other ferry vans. I'm still not sure what to do as it will be expensive and there's a lot of markings on the Transfesa that aren't available even in HO as far as I've seen. I expected loads of decals from the continent but I can't find. I'm also considering hand lining then weathering to mask the rubbishness.....anyway, that's to come.

 

I've detailed up the Transfesa vans now and they are ready for paint. There are more details but weathering would trounce them so I'll put them on last with all the wire and handrail parts.

 

 

This van has then end doors in basic detail

 

 

The underfloor detail was scratchbuild but with etched 'V' hangers. I still need round buffers and brake levers...they are really short and I'm not sure which to get. 51L from Wizard to them and the ferry 'chain down' bracket eyes so I need this stuff.

 

Building six of these is proving labourious.

 

 

 

 

[Andrew F]

All the Treansfesa vans have been painted now and await transfers to magically appear on them

 

 

The last of the '51 Festival of Britain Pullmans is 310 Pegasus (Trianon bar) in the guise of "Nightcap bar". It left the Golden Arrow around 1965 and I don't know what happened to it until '70 when it became part of an overnight Anglo-Scottish express in ble/grey standard livery. This model will be in reverse blue/grey Pullman livery which it may not have carried but could have easily.

 

 

The bar area has been finished. Pegasus these days has a different bar but I've modelled the original 50's one. The mural on the back wall shows south England, the Thames and north France and the Seine with Pegasus (looks like Cupid to me) shooting an arrow across the channel. Some of the strangest (and crappest) modelling I've done is painting the Eifell tower and Pegasus/Cupid (should be a horse). the spirits are the optic fibres from the removed seating area and the cabinet has SE Finecast bubble glaze Mk1 toplights glued on top, I may change the colour of the carpet; can't find a colour photo of this area in this period.

 

[Natalie]

Hi Andrew

Have been following your posts with interest- especially the 1951 Pullmans. Re No 310 Pegasus when removed from the Golden Arrow it was transferred to the LMR for operation on the 'Night Limited; between Euston and Glasgow Central working up and down on alternate days opposite MetCamm M354E. I have seen a pic of it/her at Glasgow Central shortly after transfer still carrying Pullman umber/cream with the legend "The Nightcap Bar" on roof/cantrail boards. As far as I am aware it retained this livery until it was repainted into its version of standard blue/grey (including the doors) with a full length red catering stripe. It was branded 'Nightcap Bar' on the left bodyside in white corporate BR lettering. I don't think that it would have been in reverse grey/blue at anytime as it went to the LMR still umber/cream and only the SR painted any Pullman Car Co stock in that version- and then only 3 before it was deemed too awful and the lined blue/grey version appeared. However I do like the grey/blue so it will be interesting to see what Pegasus would have looked like in that livery.

Keep up the good work.

 

(PS Assume that you are a member of BRCS on yahoo-RWPC's group- and have seen Keith Gunner's two monachrome shots of M310E at Wolverton Works already?)

[number6]

I too rather like the reversed blue and grey those few SR Pullmans carried - so my vote would be for that!

 

I think it appeared at that time when the old liveries - maroon, green and even those 'smarter' versions such as WR choc and cream Mk1s - started to look dowdy against the BR corporate blue image. I think that's a testament to the quality of the new identity and how it was worked through everything - not just colour but typefaces, uniforms, ship funnels, architecture etc...

 

The ferry van is looking superb by the way.

 

Best

[Fat Controller]

That Transfesa van looks superb; I hope someone will do transfers to an equally high standard.

[Andrew F]

 Thanks everyone. You confirmed my suspicions regarding the Nightcap Bar Natalie; interesting stuff.

 

S310S is finished at last. I swapped chassis' with Minerva which I'd wrongly given Gresley bogies and modded battery boxes etc.

 

 

  The next couple of projects will be a 73 and a 74, the latter being Silver Fox's rtr model. I plan to swap the Hornby powered chassis with one from a Heljan 33.

 

 

  I've not had any luck with finding the Transfesa markings. Transfesa in Spain did not reply to me. I read somewhere on RMweb that there is a grounded body on the Strathspey railway; I intend to investigate.

 

Cheers

Andy

 

 

[Andrew F]

This is what the 74 looked like earlier today

 

 

After stripping the 33 chassis down it seems to fit quite well in the Silver fox shell

 

 

To shorten the wheelbase to 37.5 foot extra holes were drilled in board

 

 

To allow the bogie tower to fit, some filing was needed plus 3 pints down Fernandes brewery.

 

 

Fits snug now with the ends of the plastic on the chassis filed down to clear the bufferbeams on the body

 

 

Should work out good,

[David Todd]

This is what the 74 looked like earlier today

 

P1020724.JPG

 

After stripping the 33 chassis down it seems to fit quite well in the Silver fox shell

 

P1020725.JPG

 

To shorten the wheelbase to 37.5 foot extra holes were drilled in board

 

P1020727.JPG

 

To allow the bogie tower to fit, some filing was needed plus 3 pints down Fernandes brewery.

 

P1020726.JPG

 

Fits snug now with the ends of the plastic on the chassis filed down to clear the bufferbeams on the body

 

P1020728.JPG

 

Should work out good,

Good work on the Nightcap Bar Andy, I had never heard of it before.

 

Nice to see you have made a start on the Class 74 and it will not,spend too much time,"in the cupboard", before it is finished.

 

What are your intention's with the spanking new 73, Royal Alex ?

 

 

[Andrew F]

Br Blue pre-tops for the 73; dimples all over it and lemon warning panels.

[Andrew F]

A full days work on the 74's bogies. I managed bogus maximus fractus; Silverfox use proper superglue to attach their bogie sides to what looks like Hornby Hymek bogies...and I thought nothing would stick to those. I've used jewelry wire and plastikard bits to detail the re-worked bogie sides. My ED book didn't show the details very well so I ripped off an RMwebbers blog model and copied it; certainly not as well but then that was nailed on; he's a bobby dazzler and I'm a bobby bodger. There's still some more bloody wires and stuff to go on there too.

 

 

Comparing the Silver fox 74 with the DC kits 71, they are totally different in the boat race.....not sure which is the most accurate......I would say the 71.

 

[P.C.M]

Nice work on those Bogies Andrew,

They look superb, as for the fronts I think the 74 does look a bit better but the DC one is ok too. Though I am no expert. I don't really remember the class 71's. I only remember seeing the 74's in a scrap line at Eastleigh open day I think 1978. I don't remember seeing them running, though I am sure I would have seen them pass through Sway in the mid 70s.

 

A head on shot of 74004 I found on Flickr shows that your rubbing plate could come up a bit but apart from that it looks pretty good.

 

Cheers Peter.

[Andrew F]

Cheers Peter, I actually thought the DC front looked better but It might be that I've just got used to it and think that looks right.

 

Here's the Heljan style bogie side fitting

 

 

With the drive shafts chopped and sleeved in plastic tube at a length of 24mm. The resin tanks were cut free and replaced (SF got them the wrong way round and at the wrong height/angle) here's where I am before I start on the body:

 

 

The body work is my favourite part of any project and I've got a plan for this.

 

Cheers

Andy

Edited August 11, 2016 by Andrew F

[P.C.M]

You are right Andy,

I confused myself when writing my post. Yes the class 71 does look better in the front I am sure the 74 will come up well though. Looking at it again I think it's the windows that could do with some work my be. 

 

Cheers Peter.

[m.levin]

Looks ok Andy.

Kemp up the standards!

[David Todd]

 

http://www.eastbank.org.uk/images/CL74/SR0216.jpg

[Andrew F]

Thanks David; really nice pictures. Work is well underway on your 73 and 74.

 

The 74. After agonizing over the fronts I decided to cut the 74. 2mm was taken out of the top horizontal plane of the nose so the front windows sit back and allow for a shovel nose look and 1mm added to the vertical. The whole curvatures of the fronts have been redone...pretty easy with resin and there's plenty of good threads on Rmweb to help out here. Then the tops of the noses were sanded to form what I reckon is the right profile. The down side is that the cab-side windows look too low; I think because the body flanks of the S/Fox are too shallow.

 

  I shaved off the molded hand rails and replaced them with wire and also trimmed down the high relief roof panel strips.

 

It's re-sprayed and glazed. It's an improvement in my eyes ....what do you think?

 

 

I think some of these loco's had disc wheels as well as spoked as have I dreamt that? Anyone know if this is true because I could do with modelling one with disc wheels?

[David Todd]

Thanks David; really nice pictures. Work is well underway on your 73 and 74.

 

The 74. After agonizing over the fronts I decided to cut the 74. 2mm was taken out of the top horizontal plane of the nose so the front windows sit back and allow for a shovel nose look and 1mm added to the vertical. The whole curvatures of the fronts have been redone...pretty easy with resin and there's plenty of good threads on Rmweb to help out here. Then the tops of the noses were sanded to form what I reckon is the right profile. The down side is that the cab-side windows look too low; I think because the body flanks of the S/Fox are too shallow.

 

  I shaved off the molded hand rails and replaced them with wire and also trimmed down the high relief roof panel strips.

 

It's re-sprayed and glazed. It's an improvement in my eyes ....what do you think?

 

P1020906.JPG

 

I think some of these loco's had disc wheels as well as spoked as have I dreamt that? Anyone know if this is true because I could do with modelling one with disc wheels?

 

Thought spoked wheels, were pre-1955,but only on steam.

Anyway,

even though you maybe fed up seeing cab end's, came across this one,this morning.

click the photo to magnify, once in the link.

 

Class 74.

 

I think your being a tad too self critical, but, am the same with Dover Priory.  

[John Tomlinson]

I'd say it looks a lot better.

 

Bear in mind your photo of the two models at #90 has the SF one a bit lower, making comparisons harder, in any case do you know how accurate (or not) the DC Kits one is?

 

On the SF rework loss of the crease in the dome above the windows is a big plus, as is the replacement of moulded handrails and your glazing. It a bit hard to be sure from the real loco pics, but I am inclined to concur with your analysis that the SF side details are all too low, and this throws out the cab window.

 

Certainly looks like a 74 now, and the excellent detail on the bogies really lifts the model.

 

John.

[Andrew F]

Thanks John, I reckon the DC kits 71 is quite wrong on the nose; the windows being a bit high and the body a fraction tall and the curve of the roof above the windows looks wrong. The SF loco is wrong in the same departments but the other way round if that makes sense. It looks like Hornby got the dimensions right with their model but I'm quite happy with knocking my kits about at the moment. 

 

  The 74 is pretty much surplus to me as I'd like to model the SE but who knows.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Dapol ED is also finished more or less. I've tried to improve the model. 

 

 I wasn't keen on the glazing so made some hand cut after the respray and made sure the headcodes were up against the glass. MJT wipers were used as I lost one of the originals and it's nice to have a Dapol 73 with the wipers parked in the middle for some reason.

 

 This loco was bone shaped so I added 1mm thick styrene strips to the lower edge of the body to bring the sides out. On a 73 the body overhangs the tanks but mine was flush or even recessed.

 

 The loco was pretty nice but I'm convinced it sat/still sits a mil or so too low and is a fraction too narrow (nowhere near as underscale as the Lima).

I raised the body a round half a mil by packing out the bottom of the cab interiors but now the rubbing plate seems to sit a little low and it looks a real faff to move it up.

 

The cab window screen seals are moulded on the body making flush or lazer glazing easy but the body side glazing has the rubbers moulded to it so for lazerglazers this could be a problem. I may mix some canopy glue and black paint and put my own rubbers on if that works.

 

 

 

Having bought C.Marsden's ED book i had a go at more realistic bodysides as there's a picture of the inner framework to go by. 

 

 

 

 

I'm free to get back to the ferry vans now. They seem daunting to the point where I can't really be bothered.

 

Cheers

Andy

[m.levin]

Just missing black gloss weathering applied with 2inch brush!!

 

Kemp it up mate.

 

You could do with some MTKits to work on.